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I Love Rock 'n' Roll
"I Love Rock 'n' Roll" is a rock song written in 1975 by Alan Merrill and Jake Hooker of Arrows, who recorded the first released version. The song was later made famous by Joan Jett & the Blackhearts in 1982.The only Arrows band member still living, Alan Merrill has been playing the song recently live in England, Europe, Japan and most often in his home town New York City. Contents 1 Arrows version 2 Joan Jett version 2.1 Music video 2.2 Critical reception 2.3 Chart performance 2.3.1 Chart successions 3 Britney Spears version 3.1 Background, release and composition 3.2 Reception 3.2.1 Critical 3.2.2 Commercial 3.3 Music video 3.4 Live performances 3.5 Track listings 3.6 Charts and certifications 3.6.1 Weekly charts 3.6.2 Year-end charts 3.6.3 Certifications 3.7 Release history 4 Alex Gaudino and Jason Rooney version 4.1 Track listing 4.2 Chart performance 4.3 Release history 5 Other cover versions Arrows version The song was originally recorded and released by Arrows in 1975 on RAK Records, with lead vocals by Alan Merrill and produced by Mickie Most. In an interview with Songfacts, Merrill said he wrote it as "a knee-jerk response to the Rolling Stones' 'It's Only Rock 'n Roll (But I Like It)'."24 This version was first released as a B-side, but was soon re-recorded and flipped to A-side status on a subsequent pressing of the record. The Arrows performed the song in 1975 on the Muriel Young produced show "45," after which Young offered the Arrows a weekly UK television series, Arrows, which was broadcast on ITV starting in March 1976.5 Joan Jett version "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" Single by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts from the album I Love Rock 'n' Roll B-side "You Don't Know What You've Got" "Love Is Pain" "You're Too Possessive" Released 20 January 1982 Format 7" single, 12" single Recorded 1981 Genre Hard rock67 * New wave Length 2:55 Label Boardwalk Producer(s) Ritchie Cordell, Kenny Laguna Certification Platinum Joan Jett and the Blackhearts singles chronology "Little Drummer Boy" (promo only) (1981) "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" (1982) "Crimson and Clover" (1982) "I Love Rock N Roll" Menu 0:00 Joan Jett and the Blackhearts' "I Love Rock N Roll" from I Love Rock 'n' Roll Problems playing this file? See media help. Joan Jett saw Arrows perform "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" on their weekly UK television series Arrows2 when she was touring England with the Runaways in 1976.5 She first recorded the song in 1979 with two of the Sex Pistols: Steve Jones and Paul Cook. This first version was released on vinyl in 1979 on Vertigo records as a B-side to "You Don't Own Me". In 1981, Jett re-recorded the song, this time with her band, the Blackhearts. This recording became a U.S. Billboard Hot 100 number-one single for seven weeks.8 Billboard ranked it at the No. 3 song for 1982.9 The single was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America, representing two million units shipped to stores with Jett's I Love Rock 'n' Roll album reaching number two on the Billboard 200. Joan Jett's version was ranked #89 in the list 100 Greatest Guitar Songs of Rolling Stone10 and has also been inducted into the Grammys Hall of Fame in 2016. 11 Music video "I Love Rock 'n' Roll"'s black-and-white music video received heavy play from the just-launched MTV network. In it, Jett and the Blackhearts travel to a small, dingy bar and proceed to excite the drunken crowd by performing the song and yelling out its chorus. A snippet of Jett's 1981 "Bad Reputation" is featured at the beginning of the video. The video was originally in color, but it was converted to black and white because Jett was ultimately displeased with the look of her red leather jumpsuit in color. In 1993 Joan Jett & the Blackhearts made another music video for the song as part of the Wayne's World 2 soundtrack. In the video appear several scenes from the movie with Mike Myers and Dana Carvey mixed with footage of Jett and her band in concert. It was again released as a single by Warner/Reprise with "Activity Grrrl" as the B-side. Critical reception Jett's version has received many accolades, including: Ranking #85 on Q magazine March 2005 list of the 100 Greatest Guitar Tracks Ranking #484 on the Rolling Stone magazine's list of "the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" Ranking #56 in Billboard's Greatest Songs of all time.12 Chart performance Chart (1982) Peak position Australia (Kent Music Report)13 1 Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)14 4 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)15 2 Canadian RPM Top Singles16 1 France (SNEP)17 4 Germany (Official German Charts)18 6 Irish Singles Chart19 2 Italy (FIMI)20 42 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)21 1 Netherlands (Single Top 100)22 1 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)23 1 South African Chart24 1 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)25 1 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)26 3 UK (Official Charts Company)27 4 U.S. Billboard Hot 10028 1 U.S. Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks28 1 U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play28 31 Chart (2015) Peak position Poland (Polish Airplay Top 100)29 81 Chart successions Preceded by "Centerfold" by the J. Geils Band Billboard Hot 100 number one single (Joan Jett version) 20 March 1982 – 1 May 1982 Succeeded by "Chariots of Fire" by Vangelis Preceded by "Tainted Love" by Soft Cell Canadian "RPM" Singles Chart number-one single (Joan Jett version) 20 March 1982 – 8 May 1982 Succeeded by "Don't You Want Me" by the Human League Preceded by "What About Me" by Moving Pictures Australian Kent Music Report number-one single (Joan Jett version) 3 May 1982 – 31 May 1982 Succeeded by "Mickey" by Toni Basil Britney Spears version "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" Single by Britney Spears from the album Britney Released 27 May 2002 Format Cassette single · CD single Recorded March 2001 Genre Pop rock Length 3:06 Label Jive Producer(s) Rodney Jerkins Britney Spears singles chronology "I'm Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman" (2002) "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" (2002) "Anticipating" (2002) Music video "I Love Rock 'N' Roll" on YouTube Background, release and composition "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" is the fourth European single released by pop singer Britney Spears from the album Britney on 27 May 2002. The song was used in her 2002 movie Crossroads. Spears's character, Lucy, performs it in a karaoke bar. Spears said of the song, "They asked me to sing karaoke in the movie Crossroads and I've actually sung I Love Rock 'n' Roll in a lot of clubs that I've been to."30 Spears has publicly admitted the original song to be one of her favorites. Spears listened to the original Arrows Mickie Most-produced version just before she recorded the song, according to Jive A&R representative Steve Lunt. The scratches performed on this song were performed by Corey Chase, at Hit Factory Miami. When promoting the single's release she mistakenly attributed the hit version of the song to Pat Benatar instead of Jett.31 Reception Critical Spears' cover was met with mostly favorable reviews. NME's Ted Kessler wrote that Britney "still works best when making a good pop cheese and dance sandwich: there's the ace Rodney Jerkins-produced version of Joan Jett's (sic) 'I Love Rock'n'Roll', which does exactly what is says on the tin."32 Rolling Stone's Barry Walters wrote that "producer Rodney Jerkins' hip-hop blaspheming of Joan Jett's "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" doesn't go as far as it should (is a Limp Bizkit remix in its future?), but it certainly beats what her earlier studio architects did to those Sonny and Cher ("The Beat Goes On" on ...Baby One More Time) and Stones ("(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" on Oops!... I Did It Again) songs."33 Another positive reception came from PopMatters's editor Nikki Tranter, who enjoyed that the song is "different from the average run-of-the-mill pop offering, and praised that "she does strange justice to the tune vamping up her vocals and turning out something, that while silly and camp, is actually a fun listen."34 In contrast, David Browne wrote for Entertainment Weekly that "her remake is neither imaginative (it simply xeroxes Joan Jett's arrangement) nor all that believable."35 Commercial "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" charted moderately upon release, reaching the top twenty in most regions. The song was moderately successful in the UK, where it peaked at number thirteen (which, at the time, was her lowest peak for a single released there, until "Radar" only managed to reach number forty-six in 2009). The single sold a total of 65,000 copies.36 It was also certified Gold in Australia. Music video Spears performing ′′Love Rock ′n′ Roll′′ at the Dream Within a Dream Tour. Directed by Chris Applebaum, the music video for "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" features Spears in a tight-fitting leather getup in a dark black room. Straightforward, it features Spears jamming in a large red room, complete with her own band, a stack of speakers, and flashing lights. She crawls along on the floor, and plays air guitar before smashing the speakers with a real guitar. Spears also dances on a rotating motorcycle and gets covered with confetti. The video made its way to the No. 2 spot at the 100 Best Videos of 2002 at MTV Latin America's countdown, only behind Avril Lavigne's "Complicated". The Director's Cut version of the video was later leaked; it included previously unseen scenes from the video. The Bar where it was shot is called The Inn, in Long Beach, New York. Live performances The song was performed live during Spears' Dream Within a Dream Tour (2001-02). In 2016, it was added to the revamped set list of her Las Vegas residency show, Britney: Piece of Me (2013-17), marking the first time Spears performed the song in 14 years. The performance features Spears riding a mechanical electric guitar, which simulates a mechanical bull, as it rotates on stage. The electric guitar is the same used by Spears in her previous 2011 show Femme Fatale Tour, which the singer performed Madonna's hit Burning Up. Track listings European 2 tracks CD single 1."I Love Rock 'n' Roll" (Album Version) — 3:06 2."Overprotected" (Darkchild Remix) — 3:18 European/Australian CD single 1."I Love Rock 'n' Roll" (Album Version) — 3:08 2."I Love Rock 'n' Roll" (Karaoke Version) — 3:06 3."Overprotected" (Darkchild Remix) — 3:20 4."I'm Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman" (Metro Remix) — 5:26 German 2 tracks CD single 1."I Love Rock 'n' Roll" (Album Version) — 3:07 2."I Love Rock 'n' Roll" (Karaoke Version) — 3:05 German CD single 1."I Love Rock 'n' Roll" (Album Version) — 3:07 2."I Love Rock 'n' Roll" (Karaoke Version) — 3:05 3."Overprotected" (Riprock 'N Alex G Remix) — 3:25 4."I'm Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman" (Metro Remix) — 5:24 Japanese CD maxi single 1."I Love Rock 'n' Roll" (Album Version) — 3:06 2."I Love Rock 'n' Roll" (Karaoke Version) — 3:04 3."Overprotected" (Darkchild Remix) — 3:20 4."I'm Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman" (Metro Remix) — 5:25 5."I'm a Slave 4 U" (Thunderpuss Radio Mix) — 3:18 6."I'm a Slave 4 U" (Miguel Migs Petalpusher Vocal) — 5:30 7."I'm Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman" (Spanish Fly Dub Mix) — 5:55 UK CD maxi single 1."I Love Rock 'n' Roll" (Album Version) — 3:06 2."I Love Rock 'n' Roll" (Karaoke Version) — 3:04 3."Overprotected (Darkchild Remix Radio Edit)" — 3:06 4."I Love Rock 'n' Roll" (Video) — 3:06 Cassette single 1."I Love Rock 'n' Roll" (Album Version) — 3:06 2."I Love Rock 'n' Roll" (Karaoke Version) — 3:04 3."Overprotected" (Darkchild Remix Radio Edit) — 3:06 Digital download (Digital 45) 1."I Love Rock 'n' Roll" — 3:07 2."I'm Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman" (Metro Remix Radio Edit) — 3:29 Charts and certifications Weekly charts Chart (2002) Peak position Australia (ARIA)37 13 Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)38 9 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)39 15 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)40 27 Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)41 19 Germany (Official German Charts)42 7 Hungarian Singles Chart43 6 Irish Singles Chart19 8 Italy (FIMI)44 20 Japan (Oricon) 26 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)45 17 Netherlands (Single Top 100)46 18 Portugal (Portuguese Singles Chart)47 4 Scotland (Official Charts Company)48 7 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)49 15 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)50 15 UK Singles (Official Charts Company)51 13 Year-end charts Chart (2002) Position Australian Singles Chart52 68 Belgium Singles Chart (Flanders)53 76 German Singles Chart54 96 Swedish Singles Chart55 85 Swiss Singles Chart56 81 Certifications Region Certification Sales/shipments Australia (ARIA)57 Gold 35,000^ *sales figures based on certification alone ^shipments figures based on certification alone Release history Country Date Format Label Germany58 27 May 2002 Maxi single JIVE Japan59 19 June 2002 Sony United Kingdom60 1 July 2002 JIVE Alex Gaudino and Jason Rooney version "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" I Love Rock 'n' Roll.jpg Promotional single by Alex Gaudino & Jason Rooney Released 3 December 2008 Recorded 2008 Length 3:37 Label 541/NEWS Writer Alan Merrill, Jake Hooker Alex Gaudino singles chronology "Watch Out" (2008) "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" (2008) "I'm in Love (I Wanna Do It)" (2010) The Alex Gaudino & Jason Rooney cover version was released in 2008. Track listing UK Digital download No. Title Length 1. "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" (Radio Edit) 3:37 2. "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" (Extended Mix) 7:43 3. "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" (Dabruck, Klein Remix) 6:01 4. "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" (Nari & Milani Remix) 5:35 5. "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" (Disko Kriminals Remix) 7:05 Credits and personnelLead vocals – Alex Gaudino Music – Alan Merrill, Jake Hooker Lyrics – Alan Merrill, Jake Hooker Scratches – Corey Chase Label: 541/NEWS Chart performance Chart (2008) Peak position Belgium (Ultratip Wallonia)61 10 Release history Region Date Format United Kingdom 3 December 2008 Digital download62 Other cover versions This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (December 2013) "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" is an often-covered song, and has been notably recorded by such artists as: L'Arc~En~Ciel released the song as a single internationally in 2011 and it was featured in a Pepsi commercial in Japan. Lee Da-hae released the song as a single in 2007, with versions in both English and Korean. Boy band Five sampled the song for "Everybody Get Up". Reverend Run sampled the song for his song "Mind on the Road" on his solo album Distortion. "Weird Al" Yankovic (parody, as "I Love Rocky Road") Category:1975 singles Category:1982 singles Category:2002 singles Category:Arrows (British band) songs Category:Jive Records singles Category:Joan Jett songs Category:Britney Spears songs Category:Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles Category:Billboard Mainstream Rock number-one singles Category:Dutch Top 40 number-one singles Category:RPM Top Singles number-one singles Category:Number-one singles in Sweden Category:Music videos directed by Chris Applebaum Category:Song recordings produced by Mickie Most Category:Song recordings produced by Rodney Jerkins Category:Songs from films Category:Songs about music Category:1975 songs